Why Atlanta is the third fastest-growing metro in the country
Georgia’s capital and its largest city, Atlanta, is home to more than 530,000 people. And the greater Metro Atlanta region counts 5.16 million, a figure that’s growing rapidly. Newcomers appreciate the mild climate, lively arts and culture scene, and lower cost of living compared to other major metropolitan areas, but what draws them is the strong economy. Nearly 20 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the metro area including The Home Depot, UPS, Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-A. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest airport, the largest employer in Georgia, and home to Delta Air Lines headquarters. And since becoming the home of Tyler Perry Studios, Atlanta has been dubbed Hollywood of the South.
The city has also launched a massive urban redevelopment project, the $4.8 billion Atlanta Beltline. About 16 miles of this former railroad corridor have been redeveloped. When completed in 2030, it will span 22 miles and connect over 45 neighborhoods in Atlanta, linking communities like Virginia Highland to areas such as Westview . Multiuse trails link a vast network of parks and public spaces and in many areas, paths are lined with popular shops and watering holes. “The Beltline has been the hottest date night and social gathering scene lately because it’s so casual and laidback, and that’s what people enjoy now,” says Robin Andrade, owner and broker of Sell Atlanta. “You see musicians out there performing; it has restaurants and stores; the Beltline is Atlanta’s No. 1 everything.”
Atlanta, Georgia's capitol, is the state's largest city with a breathtaking skyline.
Residents can take the Beltine to Ponce City Market in Atlanta..
Delta Airlines' headquarters is located in Atlanta which includes a museum.
Atlanta, also known as the "Hollywood of the South" is home to Tyler Perry Studios and more.
Atlanta is home to Coca Cola's Headquarters, providing mass employment to residents.
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Atlanta housing prices are lower than other major metropolitan areas
The median home price in Atlanta is around $420,000, on par with the national median price. The city has 242 neighborhoods and covers 132 square miles. Buyers can find vintage Craftsman bungalows on compact lots in Kirkwood from around $250,000 to $350,0000; high-rise and low-rise condos on the densely populated streets of downtown can range from $450,000 to $1.4 million in communities like Centennial Hill . Luxurious mansions are on sprawling estates in Tuxedo Park , one of Atlanta’s most expensive neighborhoods in the upscale Buckhead district, for $2.5 million to $12 million. “Atlanta’s market is extremely solid. We continue to go up no matter what because people are always moving here,” says Timmothy McCann, a broker associate with EXP Realty, who’s been selling homes in the city for more than 20 years. “Our market is not very volatile. I was still selling in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.”
Cape code styled cottages can be had in Buckhead Forest.
Colorful bungalows and newer homes mix in Grant Park.
Charming Cape Cods can be found amongst the historic real estate of Collier Heights.
A Tudor-style home, representative of the many large, newer homes in North Buckhead.
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Festivals at Piedmont Park and an Olympic playground
There are 377 parks in Atlanta, filling 4,200 acres of green space. “The trees are a huge selling feature of Atlanta. People love the green spaces. You don’t see the air quality diminished because of the traffic and a large part of that is because of the ecology. We do have the parks and the trees and the nature,” McCann says. “The city puts a big priority on preserving that. Even on your own personal property, unless there are trees in danger of falling down, you can’t go around cutting them.”
The 200-plus-acre Piedmont Park, near Midtown Atlanta , is the most visited in the city, drawing over 6 million people annually and hosting hundreds of year-round events, including the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in spring. The site of the 1996 Olympics, Centennial Olympic Park continues to be a popular spot, featuring the Fountain of Rings splash pad, the 20-story SkyView Atlanta Ferris Wheel (with air-conditioned cars) and the 1996 Olympic Rings statue that serves as a fun backdrop for photos. In 2026, eight FIFA World Cup events will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta experiences all four seasons. While summers in Atlanta are hot and humid, winters tend to be mild. Thunderstorms with heavy rain and flooding and tornados are some of the severe weather the city experiences.
Atlanta Jazz Festival is located at Piedmont Park every Memorial Day weekend.
Large crowds gather to enjoy live music from local Atlanta artists during 404 Day.
Centennial Olympic Park is a popular spot for residents and tourists alike.
Centennial Olympic Park features a splash pad in the shape of the Olympic rings.
Piedmont Park Arts Festival is named as one of the TOP 100 Arts Festival in the Nation.
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Upscale shopping in Buckhead and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants
The swanky Buckhead district is one of the city’s top shopping and dining destinations. Options include Lenox Square, with department and specialty stores including Bloomingdale’s and Chanel. Across the street is Phipps Plaza, with luxury boutiques and pricey restaurants like Nobu. Buckhead Village is an outdoor shopping area with upscale boutiques, restaurants and bars. More bohemian shopping can be found closer to downtown in Little Five Points, where streets are lined with vintage stores, tattoo parlors and art galleries; it’s also a great spot for barhopping.
Other popular dining areas in Atlanta include the Krog Street Market in Inman Park , with dozens of food and market stalls. Around since 1947, Busy Bee — a James Beard award-winner — serves some of the city’s favorite soul food in the Vine City neighborhood. Chili dogs accompanied by “frosted orange” milkshakes at The Varsity are Atlanta staples. Michelin-starred restaurants include Atlas, in the St. Regis Atlanta hotel, and Mujo for omakase.
Busy Bee is a phenomenal restaurant in Vine City with famous patrons of the Civil Rights Era.
The Varsity restaurant on North Avenue NW has been a landmark in Midtown since 1928.
Residents of Cross Creek can enjoy the proximity to elevated retail experiences at Phipps Plaza.
Krog Street Market is a popular hangout spot in Inman Park with an open concept food hall.
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From arts and culture in Midtown to the World of Coca-Cola downtown
Much of the city’s vibrant arts scene revolves around the Midtown Atlanta Art District. The Woodruff Arts Center is a cultural hub housing the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the intimate Alliance Theatre and the High Museum of Art, notable for its American, European and African collections. Nearby historic attractions include the Margaret Mitchell House, where the author wrote “Gone with the Wind,” and the Fox Theatre, a fanciful building dating from 1929 that hosts Broadway shows, dance performances and concerts. Atlanta’s Public Art Collection, valued at $22 million, includes 139 artworks all around the city by such eminent artists as Isamu Noguchi and Sol Le Witt.
Atlanta is the hometown and final resting place of the father of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. Located in Sweet Auburn , the nearly 35-acre Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park includes landmarks such as the home of his birth as well as The King Center, which highlights his legacy. Other attractions can be found downtown at Pemberton Place, including the soda-themed museum World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park is another highlight.
Residents in Atlanta can head to the Georgia Aquarium for family fun exploring sea animals.
The King Center is a central pillar of the Sweet Auburn community.
The High Museum of Art is located nearby in Midtown.
Atlanta Artists Center is an open gallery with the work of various talents in Midtown Atlanta.
Enjoy lovely entertainment at the nearby Fox Theater.
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Traffic woes are part of life in Atlanta
Known locally as The Perimeter, Interstate 285 circles the city, with everything inside considered Atlanta and everything outside of it considered the suburbs. I-20 runs east and west through the city, providing interstate access to Alabama to the west and South Carolina to the east. Both I-75 and I-85 run north and south through the city, with a stretch where the two merge at the center known as the Downtown Connector, or 75/85. “Any time after 11 o’clock it’s going to be crazy. Rush hour here is from 11 o’clock until midnight. The city was not built for this many people. The roads can become a parking lot. You’re just sitting there. It can get that bad around four or five o’clock. And it’s like that every day not just some days,” McCann says. “Once you live here for a while, you make accommodations timewise for it because it’s an immovable force you can’t get around. If you drive early in the morning before rush hour you can make decent time.”
The Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, or MARTA, is the city’s public transportation system, providing bus and train service throughout Metro Atlanta. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the largest airport in the United States and was the busiest airport in the world in 2023, according to OAG Aviation. As a hub for Delta Air Lines and a focus city for Spirit, Frontier and Southwest Airlines, the airport serves approximately 275,000 passengers daily with 150 national and 75 international destinations.
Atlanta Public Schools and top-ranked universities
The city is served by Atlanta Public Schools, which has a B rating from Niche. The school system operates 61 elementary schools, 27 middle schools and 17 high schools. Among them is Atlanta Classical Academy for kindergarten through 12th-grade students. It’s rated A by Niche and is ranked as the third-best charter school in the state. Students in Atlanta can request to attend schools within the district that they aren’t zoned to attend, but placement isn’t guaranteed.
More than 50 two- and four-year colleges and universities are located in the Atlanta Metro area. In the city, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University are two of the top research universities in the nation. Georgia State University is the largest university in the state, with more than 52,000 students. Atlanta is home to the country’s largest consortium of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, with all four located in the city’s historic West End neighborhood. Morehouse College alumni include Martin Luther King Jr. and Spike Lee. Spelman College was ranked the No. 1 HBCU in the country from 2006 to 2024 by U.S. News & World Report.
Atlanta Classical Academy is a charter school in West Paces, GA.
King Middle School, located in the Grant Park Neighborhood, teaching grades 6th through 8th.
National legend, Hank Aaron, is honored with a statue in front of Morehouse's campus.
Dunwoody's Georgia State University offers 250 degree programs in over 100 fields of study.
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Atlanta's violent crime rate is twice the national average
According to FBI data, Atlanta has higher rates of violent and property crimes than the state and the nation. However, the Atlanta Police Department reported a significant drop in violent crimes in 2023, with Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta Police Chief Darren Schierbaum crediting a crackdown on gang activity and a focus on removing guns from the streets. Homicides notably dropped by more than 20% during that same time. On the other hand, property crime increased slightly in 2023, largely fueled by a significant increase in car thefts.
On average, homes in Atlanta, GA sell after 51 days on the market compared to the national average of 53 days. The median sale price for homes in Atlanta, GA over the last 12 months is $430,000, up 1% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Shana Arnold is an Associate Broker with Adams Realtors, where she’s been a trusted leader for more than a decade. With 25+ years of experience — beginning in national retail leasing before moving into residential — she’s built a reputation for strategy, negotiation, and results that last.
As a lifelong Atlantan, her knowledge runs street-level deep, connecting market trends with real community insight. She is active in her community as a graduate of the Park Pride Stewardship Academy, a board member of Friends of Chosewood Park, and the driving force behind major grants, cleanups, and festivals like ChoseWoodstock. For years, she has also played a long-standing role on the committee for the Adams Realtors Run for the Park 5K, a Peachtree Road Race qualifier and community staple that raises funds for the Grant Park Conservancy — work that has generated more than $100,000 for Atlanta’s oldest park.
Homes.com features her as an in-town Atlanta expert, quoting her on the neighborhoods she knows best and the markets she moves in. Clients trust her not only for her knowledge, but for her relationships — which often give them access to off-market opportunities others can’t touch.
Shana is the one Atlanta buyers and sellers turn to when they want real access, real results, and the advantage of a broker who’s been here all along.
For more, follow her on Instagram@ shana.atl.realtor
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Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
